Space Captain: Captain of Space

Yes boys and girls, it's that time again! Rehearsals for Space Captain start this month!

I think it's the funniest we've done. It's based on the old Flash Gordon serials from the 1930s. The really old ones, before the movie with the Queen song. 

Space Captain is the fourth full-length show I've done with No Tea Productions, a small New York theater company that adopted me into its ranks three years ago after I played the title role in "Poppycock." (The title role was a woman named "Poppy," get your mind out of the gutter)

My invitation to become a resident actor with the company came at one of the founder's 80's-themed birthday party while doing shots of Jack Daniels and wearing artfully ripped T-shirts, side ponytails and a green fuzzy snap-bracelet, which I still have.

How do you say no to that?

Lindsey and Jeff, the couple that founded No Tea in 2007, are two of the coolest people I know. Their mission statement is to produce quality original comedies that so far have been written and developed by members of the company. I've attended the weekly writer's meetings myself, and wrote a short one-act that was performed by company members as part of a night of scenes resulting from those workshops.

The shows are good. They really are. Not only are they funny, but they're meaningful and original in thought and concept. And the people in the company are some of the sweetest, and most down-to-Earth theatre people I know.

In addition to being invited into the company of actors, after my first show with No Tea, I was even invited to Lindsey and Jeff's wedding!

The most astounding thing about this company is that Lindsey, Jeff, Jeremy (the Technical Director) and all of the other designers and crew pay for everything out of their own pockets. They never make their money back and I doubt they even break even most of the time. And this show is CRAZY AMBITIOUS.

It's multimedia, with video, live action and puppets, and thus much more expensive than any of the other shows they've done.

And so, they've set up an IndieGoGo fundraising page in order to help them make back some of the money that they are already spending to cover the costs of materials, performance and rehearsal space, etc.

I STRONGLY urge you to donate to this campaign. All the time and money and sweat and tears that these people have spent on previous shows have been given freely, just for the love of making theatre. The show will get made whether or not they make their money, but I think they deserve to get a little back.

To donate, visit their IndieGoGo page.http://www.indiegogo.com/NoTeaProductions-SpaceCaptain